1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capture device and an image data correction process at the image capture device, and more particularly to an image capture device such as a digital camera or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, solid-state image capture components of digital cameras, which serve as image capture devices, convert light corresponding to subjects to electronic signals by photoelectric conversion with pluralities of photoelectric conversion elements, and output the electronic signals. Among such photoelectric conversion elements, there may be defects (defective pixels) due to adhesion of dust, damage and the like, and due to crystal defects and the like. Hence, it may not be possible to output signals which accurately correspond to light amounts of incident light with these defective pixels. Among such defective pixels, a defective pixel which is caused by dust, damage or the like is a defective pixel with a static characteristic, which is not affected by conditions of operation of the image capture device. On the other hand, a defective pixel which arises due to a crystal defect is a defective pixel with a dynamic characteristic, in which there is a greater effect of deterioration in image quality when a duration of exposure of the solid-state image capture component is longer.
Techniques for performing corrections of image data that corresponds to these various types of defective pixels have been known (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2000-101925).
In the technique disclosed in JP-A No. 2000-101925, in accordance with conditions of photography, such as shutter speed, ambient temperature and so forth, position information representing each of positions of defective pixels caused by dust, damage and the like and positions of defective pixels caused by crystal defects is memorized in a lookup table for a plurality of values of each of the conditions of photography. Hence, position information of defective pixels is selected from the lookup table in accordance with an ambient temperature and shutter speed or the like at a time of photography, and correction of the defective pixels is carried out in accordance with the thus-specified position information.
However, although it is possible to perform correction for defective pixels in accordance with conditions of photography with the conventional technique described above, when image data corresponding to the defective pixels is to be corrected, it is necessary to select the position information of the defective pixels corresponding to the conditions of photography from among a large amount of pre-memorized position information representing defective pixel positions. Therefore, when photography conditions which require high-speed image processing are specified, an amount of time for reading the information relating to defective pixels may be a problem.